Organ donation gives new lease of life to 4 patients

Namrata Devikar

Thursday, 6 July 2017

Pune: A 29-year-old woman suffering from cardiomyopathy since birth, got a new lease of life after she underwent a heart transplant at Ruby Hall Clinic on Thursday. She was the lone breadwinner of the family.

Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle which can lead to sudden cardiac death. Doctors at Ruby Hall Clinic said that the woman was suffering from this condition since the age of three.

Pune: A 29-year-old woman suffering from cardiomyopathy since birth, got a new lease of life after she underwent a heart transplant at Ruby Hall Clinic on Thursday. She was the lone breadwinner of the family.

Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle which can lead to sudden cardiac death. Doctors at Ruby Hall Clinic said that the woman was suffering from this condition since the age of three.

“The young girl was seeking treatment with Dr Jagdish Hiremath at the hospital since an early age. The heart recipient also lost her younger sister at the age of two due to the same condition. The condition is genetic and she was at a high risk,” said Surekha Joshi, Transplant Coordinator at Ruby Hall Clinic.

The donor is a 35-year-old from Nashik who was declared brain dead on Wednesday after a road accident. His family volunteered to donate his organs and his heart, kidneys and liver were donated.

Arti Gokhale, Coordinator of Zonal Transplant Co-Operation Centre (ZTCC) said, “The heart was transported through a green corridor from the Pune Airport to Ruby Hall Clinic in a record time of six minutes because of the timely co-ordination.”

The 35-year-old’s kidney was given to Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital while another one to the Rishikesh Hospital in Nashik. Dr Bipin Vibhute, Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgeon, Sahyadri Hospitals said the kidneyand liver were transported to Pune via the green corridor.

“The liver will save the life of a 46-year-old patient suffering from an end-stage liver disease at Sahyadri Hospitals,” said Vibhute.

In another case, a 23-year-old’s organs were also donated after he was declared brain dead in Pune. He was also a victim of a road accident.

What is cardiomyopathy?
Cardiomyopathy is a group of diseases that affect the heart muscle.

Initially, there may be few or no symptoms. Some people may have shortness of breath, tired feeling or have swelling of the legs due to heart failure. An irregular heartbeat may occur as well as fainting. Those affected are at an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.